


tell me detective, what are you looking for?

by ayumii



Series: Yandere Akira AU [3]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Personas (Persona Series), M/M, No Metaverse (Persona 5), also i'm sorry if this fic isn't up to par with the others, god i havent had a good night's sleep so take this, i plan to do more with other characters as well, oh btw i gave akira's parents names so they'll pop up every once in a while, regular people with problems in this here au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-22
Updated: 2018-10-22
Packaged: 2019-08-05 20:31:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16374545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ayumii/pseuds/ayumii
Summary: April 10th, The day of Kurusu Akira's arrival to Shibuya.Though word of his crimes haven't evaded the Ace Detective, who wonders just what kind of boy he is.





	tell me detective, what are you looking for?

**Author's Note:**

> todays segment on yan akira au: ace detective pancake

Bitter.

There’s a bitter taste in his mouth, and he can’t get it to go away.

His fingers dig into the flesh of his palms as he stares blankly at his parents; their faces scribbled out with black ink.

“Akira,” His ‘father’ starts, the fear far too apparent in his voice. “Please behave yourself in Shibuya.” It’s a futile plea. “You’ll be there for a year. Please…don’t do anything drastic.” He wants to throw up.

“Your father and I are worried, Akira.” His ‘mother’ speaks as well. “We want our child to be safe.”

Don’t spout words you don’t mean.

Akira resists the urge to tear out the woman’s throat when she touches him, her hands tightly gripping his. “Promise me you’ll behave yourself.” He found it disgusting how they pretended to care about him.

They sent him to hospitals and psychiatrists, trying to ‘fix’ him. They looked at him in fear every time he came home, and every birthday he had was always filled with tension. He hated it. He hated _them._

But he just nods. There was no use in trying to please them. Just acting like a good son was enough.

As the train arrives, his ‘mother’ pulls him into a tight hug. “We love you, Akira.” She mutters the brazen lie into his ear. He doesn’t return the gesture.

The door to the train swings open, the boy turning around to step inside. Once he is sure they can’t immediately follow, he finally calls out to them. “Mom, Dad.” He says, a wide smile on his face. The blank stare remains.

“Goodbye.” He watches with pleasure as the faces of his ‘parents’ contort into that of fear, but they recover and flash fearful smiles. He gives them a small wave as the doors slam shut and the train departs.

Did he regret the things he did?

No.

There was no need to regret anything in that sleepy little town. There was nothing that waited for him to return. Akira decided he would never return.

Though he didn’t know it just yet, his salvation was waiting for him in Shibuya.

 

———

 

Sweet.

It’s far too sweet for anyone’s liking, but Akechi Goro doesn’t care.

Happily feasting on the sweets before him, his co-worker only looks him with exasperated eyes. “You’ve decided to take advantage of me treating you today, I take it?” Niijima Sae asks, though a simple smile paints her red lips.

“Yes.” Akechi replies, not a trace of guilt in his tone. “I bet the press will have a field day with this. Ace Detective Akechi Goro, found stuffing his face with dozens of sweets.” Akechi can’t help but laugh at that.

“I _do_ have a food blog. My fans already know I have a sweet tooth.”

“ _Too_ sweet if you ask me.”

“I have been deprived of sweets as a child, you know.”

“Maybe that was for the best.”

The banter continues, light hearted conversations between the two. Though Akechi knew he was just lying to himself.

To his so called ‘fans’, to his coworkers in the SIU and to Sae.

He felt some guilt for lying to the woman he thought of as an older sister, the prosecutor who didn’t fall for his facade. She didn’t know the extent of his real personality, but it was for the best.

He had worked far too hard to build his reputation, to watch it crumble because he took off his mask for even a second. “Still, you’re acting strange today."

Akechi freezes.

“Whatever do you mean, Sae-san?”

When the woman adopts a worried look, Akechi unconsciously bows his head in order to hide his eyes. Sae was the type of woman who could take a look at you and easily read what was going through your head, but if she looked closer he was afraid she would find out.

She would find out just how empty and broken inside he is.

From the moment he was born, fate had decided he would live the worst life imaginable. The gods laughed at his sorrow when he cried out for his mother who dangled from the ceiling, and sneered at him when he prayed at the scratchy beds of the orphanage for just one good thing to happen.

His father could not care less where he was, or what he was doing. To him, Akechi was nothing more than his subservient puppet who craved affection and so long as Akechi did his bidding, he would dangle hope where it was close but still out of reach to keep him loyal.

To salvage what little he had, Akechi dedicated himself to studies and became the youngest known detective at the age of seventeen. It wasn’t the most ideal life, but he took what he could get. Juggling high school and detective duties proved to be exhausting, with few hours of sleep in between, but he didn’t care.

As long as there was something, anything that could take his mind off of his situation in life he would gladly accept it.

“Your hands are shaking, Akechi-kun.”

“Huh. I wonder why.”

“Akechi-kun, look at me.”

Obediently, the boy raises his head and locks eyes with the woman sitting across him. “I’m worried about you. I know that work is stressful, and it’s likely it’s wearing you down. But you keep accepting tasks from the Director and that’s not good for your health.” She says.

“You don’t have to worry about me so much, Sae-san. This is my job after all.”

“Akechi, This is already too much, even for you. Please,” Sae places a hand on his. “ _Please_ just take a few days off. No going to school, or work, just…rest.” Akechi could not help but feel happy at her pleas to take care of himself. He avoided any sort of rest to keep away the recurring nightmares. He knew that this concern was only because Sae herself had a little sister that was his age.

A little older than him, but still a younger sibling.

He felt jealous too.

But still, a part of him just wanted someone, _anyone_ to care. Even if it was just a little bit.

After some hesitation, the boy nods. “Alright.” He smiles as Sae breathe out a sigh of relief. “I’ll talk to the director so you won’t have to. Take it easy for the next few days, okay?” Akechi nods again with a quiet but genuine, “Thank you, Sae-san.”

“Of course. Now you better finish your food or I’m not paying for it.”

“Yes Ma’am.”

 

———

 

Upon waking up the next day, Akechi finds himself sitting in his bed feeling refreshed.

For once in his life, he slept without any dreams.

Had he been a few years younger, he may have finally thanks the gods for finally letting him sleep peacefully for once. Sadly, this wasn’t the case. He could only assume fate was about to stir up more trouble for him to suffer through.

Akechi sighs, running a hand through his hair. Absentmindedly, he thought about cutting it shorter. It was getting quite long, after all.

Glancing at the window gives him an idea of how long he’s been asleep. Considering he got home at nearly midnight the other day, it was probably around one in the afternoon.

He lets out a yawn, stretching. He didn’t feel like cooking, so eating out had to do. Another yawn and he slips out of bed to get ready for the remainder of the day.

In the back of his mind, he thought back to the case he had been reading about a few days earlier.

The case file didn’t elaborate too much on the culprit’s personal info, but from what he could remember, the culprit was a boy around his age. Maybe a year younger, since he hadn’t been tried as an adult.

According to the file, it said he was caught attempting to assault a female classmate of his.

His defence? She wouldn’t leave him alone.

Akechi found it hard to believe someone would want to hurt another just because they refused to leave them be. Sure, His fans annoyed him from time to time but he never really thought about getting rid of them.

Of course, he had no right to talk.

Even his hands were stained in blood, being a murderer on orders of his wretched father. But for the most part, he never had intentions of murdering anyone if he could help it.

The culprit was said to be sentenced to a year on probation, here in Shibuya.

Strange, how his sentence was a lot lighter than what it should have been. Under normal circumstances, the culprit should have been tried as an adult and sentenced to a number of years in prison. Yet, the culprit gets away with a year on probation.

The justice system truly is warped.

Though, the chances of meeting the culprit was slim. Shibuya is a big place, it would be a miracle if he were to meet this stranger.

The boy hesitates when he reaches for his signature gloves.

It wasn’t too hot out, but it wasn’t really cold either. In fact, the weather seemed perfectly pleasant in the ways that made Akechi suspicious of what was out there. What were the gods planning this time?

He’d already suffered through bloodshed and losses, couldn’t they just give him a break?

Then again, they wouldn’t be cruel if they did.

As he pulls on his gloves, he steps towards a mirror. Dead, cold and red eyes stare back at him, strands of brown hair covering his eyebrows. It became a norm of his to look into the mirror everyday.

Not out of narcism, but rather to see if there was still something inside of him that made him feel alive.

His lips twitch upwards as he laughs at his own reflection.

Maybe in some other life he might have been happier. A life where his mother never died and he never had to deal with his father. A life where he had friends. A life where he never had to suffer.

He barks out another bitter laugh.

Yeah, right. Even he wasn’t that much of a fool.

Grabbing his phone and keys off his desk, the boy closes his bedroom door behind him.

Dreams were merely dreams made from the wishes of others. He couldn’t drown in the sweet delusion even if he wanted to.

 

———

 

Bitter.

It was…really bitter.

Akechi stares down at the treat he bought, thinking it to be sweet. He didn’t really want to eat this anymore. With a sigh, the boy sinks down into the park bench. Lunch was filling, all he wanted was something sweet to finish off his meal.

He didn’t mind sour candy, that was different.

Akechi didn’t really want to go back to his apartment, deciding that he’d just waste the afternoon wander the park. Nobody came to bother him with an autograph or anything like that, which made Akechi even more concerned.

“…If you’re just going to torture me again, just do it now _damn you_.” He mutters to the empty air.

Surprisingly, nothing happens.

If by nothing, meaning a cat suddenly appearing in his line of view, then yes. Nothing happens.

He blinks.

_What the hell?_

The feline mewls at him, eyes immediately honing in on the treat he’s set aside. Without any further hesitance, the cat begins to devour the snack, Akechi watching on in utter disbelief.

The gods sent a cat.

This has to be part of some sick joke, because he’s not seeing the humour.

In no time, the cat is done eating and is now looking at him, mewling and purring and rubbing against his hand. What in the world is he suppose to react with?

Akechi Goro no longer has a grasp on what is happening.

Where did the cat even come from? Shibuya had it’s fair share of stray cats and dogs here and there, but the cats were usually the feral kind and stayed away from humans as much as they could.

“Oh, you have an owner…” He muses, seeing the yellow collar around the cat’s neck. Which would mean that this feline either ran away or just strayed from his owner. One or the other.

Distantly, Akechi hears the sound of someone calling out for another. The boy pauses to listen carefully, hearing the person yell again.

Morgana?

“…What kind of name is ‘Morgana’?” At this, the cat meows loudly. Oh. _This_ is Morgana. “Your owner sure gave you a strange name…” He laughs a little, scooping the feline into his arms.

“They must be worried. Let’s get you back to them, shall we?” The cat; Morgana, meows happily, making himself comfortable in Akechi’s arms. As he wanders around the park looking for Morgana’s owner, he begins to think about the times he tried to keep any sort of pet.

It never ended well. Something always had to happen, wether it was by accident or on purpose. He couldn’t remember the many times he cried over an animal he tried to protect before deciding to give up.

“You’re lucky.” He mutters absentmindedly, gently scratching Morgana behind the ears. “Your owner must really love you if they would go looking for you in such a busy city.” Morgana meows, reaching up to bat at the lapels of his peacoat. “Unlike me. Nobody would come looking for me if I happened to disappear.” Akechi gives the feline a sad smile.

As the young Detective approaches a clearing, he spots a boy around his age, frantically calling out for the feline. Akechi watches the boy yell out for Morgana one more time before he simply just…stops.

Did he give up?

No, that couldn’t be. Perhaps he’s trying to calm down.

Akechi’s eyes trail down to the boy’s hands, seeing them twitch erratically.

Perhaps now would be a good time to return Morgana to him.

“Excuse me…” He starts, approaching the boy. The boy turns and Akechi is greeted with silvery grey eyes. “Ah…” The boy begins, reaching out for the cat in his arms. “Your friend came running up to me and stole some of my food.” Akechi explains, a smile on his lips.

“Sorry, he does that…” The boy’s voice trembles a little and Akechi couldn’t help but feel worried. Sure, it was normal for someone to be afraid for their pet’s wellbeing, but if he was being honest?

This guy was a little more than just afraid. It was like he needed Morgana and couldn’t live without him.

“No worries. I didn’t like the food anyway, so I’m glad someone else could enjoy it.” Akechi gives the feline a few gentle strokes on the head. The cat was a surprise, he had to admit, the boy even more so. He still didn’t feel like believing that fate decided to have mercy on him, but for a second he wanted to assume otherwise.

Noticing that the boy is still staring at him, he speaks once more. “You look surprised.”

“Oh, uh. He usually doesn’t let anyone else but me touch him, so…”

“I see. I feel honoured.”

“Well, I should go.” Akechi internally cringes at the sound of his own voice. “I have some business to attend to and I don’t want to be late.” Why did he lie? He didn’t have anything to do, why was he in such a hurry to leave? Despite this, Akechi hands Morgana back to the bespectacled boy, the cat yowling in protest.

“It was nice meeting you.” With a smile and a wave, Akechi walks away.

It was strange. He didn’t usually have a problem with talking to strangers, but that boy gave off a strange feeling. Not to mention, the look in his eyes before he returned Morgana to him.

It was the same look he saw every time he looked into the mirror, which made him wonder what kind of demons the boy is dealing with. Surely something much less cruel that what he dealt with every day.

Surely.

Though, the possibilities were quite low. Considering that his eyes looked very much like they had died off long ago.

Even as he went on with his day, the boy never left his mind.

 

———

 

“Take a look at this, Akechi-kun.”

The boy looks up from his own paperwork to see Sae tilting a laptop in his direction. The page was open to an article, about a teacher from Shujin Academy who had been arrested on charges of sexual assault. “Your sister goes to Shujin, doesn’t she?” He asks. Sae nods with a relieved, “Luckily Makoto wasn’t caught up in this. I can’t imagine what would have happened if that teacher so much as touched her…”

Akechi’s smile is empty. How nice of Sae to worry about her sister. It’s sweet.

“Thankfully he’s behind bars now.”

“Yes. Thankfully.” He answers distantly.

It’s been about a few weeks since he’s seen the boy and his cat. Even after reading through file after file, his face never left. It remained in his head, along with the dead eyes that stared back at him every time he closed his eyes.

Why was he so fixated on him? He didn’t understand.

“Akechi-kun?”

“Yes, Sae-san?”

Sae sighs and Akechi freezes. He knew that sigh. It was the same gesture she made when she was disappointed. “You haven’t been overworking again, have you?” She asks, crimson eyes piercing into his own. “I haven’t, I promise.” Though technically he had stayed up occasionally to read up on some cases, he hadn’t really been out and about, working on cases in the ungodly hours of the morning.

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.”

The woman gives him an unconvinced look, but thankfully drops the subject. “I also heard that the culprit for that assault case is here in Shibuya.”

“Yes, I read about that too. He was sent here on probation, right?”

Come to think of it, that boy was wearing the Shujin uniform as well, wasn’t he? Did he get caught up in the incident? Hopefully not. It didn’t sound like a good way to start the school year.

“That’s right. Unfortunately, since we aren’t really involved in this case, we aren’t allowed to do anything unless the guy does something that warrants another arrest. This time he’s headed straight for prison.” Sae explains. “Though I read up on the court trial and I thought it was strange.”

“What is?”

“The parents of the culprit weren’t against the probation, but they were against sending him to Shibuya. Apparently it was because he wasn’t… ‘normal’.”

Normal? In what way was he not normal? Abnormal in the way that he didn’t really conform to society’s views?

“How so?”

“I’m not sure. His parents didn’t want to elaborate and his former classmates refused to talk about him. It was like everyone was terrified of him.” The woman frowns. “I can’t imagine someone being so afraid of their own child.” Akechi remains silent.

Sae leans back in her seat, arms crossed. “Either way, this guy is here in Shibuya. I don’t have any personal information on him, but all I know is that he’s around your age.”

“That’s nice to know.” Akechi says dryly. “Someone my age is capable of committing crimes. Wonderful.”

“Just because you have the emotional capacity of a teaspoon doesn’t mean you’re not capable of committing crimes as well.”

“At least I have _some_ emotions, unlike your non-existent boyfriend.”

Sae sits up and narrows her eyes at the boy.

From three doors down, other members of the SIU would hear the pained screams of one Akechi Goro.

 

———

 

Two months.

That’s how long it’s been since he met the mysterious bespectacled boy and his odd looking cat. Akechi pulls the hat down further, making sure it at least covered his eyes. Sae had caught him overworking again and shoved a ticket to Madarame’s Exhibition into hands, taking his attache case hostage in the process.

Her conditions were that she wouldn't give it back until he went and took at least a few pictures of his time there.

He didn’t even see the point in going to an exhibition when he himself didn’t see the joy in drawing. Sure, it was a good reliever for stress, but too many things piled up on top of each other that his stress became normal.

Well… Sae isn’t a woman to be trifled with. Might as well just go along with it.

Weaving his way through the thick crowd, Akechi ventures through the exhibition, sparing glances towards the artworks hanging on the wall. He considered himself average at drawing, but never thought about pursing an art career. Then again, he never thought about anything other than trying to stay afloat in his life.

He pauses in his tracks upon seeing a girl in pigtails, accompanied by a blue haired boy. The girl in pigtails didn’t look like a local, but he recognised the uniform she was wearing. Perhaps she knew the bespectacled boy?

It seemed like a weird thing to ask someone out of the blue though, considering that he knew absolutely nothing about him and had no particular reason to see him. She might think he was trying to do something to the boy, and animosity from a complete stranger was something he wanted to avoid entirely.

With the shake of his head, he wanders off.

The bespectacled boy proved to be a bit of a distraction since their meeting, Akechi occasionally trailing off in his own sentences when the boy came to mind. He almost mentioned the boy to his father, but managed to evade the subject entirely lest his father decided to make him murder an innocent high schooler.

“Do you know what is reflected in her eyes?”

Even Sae picked up on his fixation with a boy he knew next to nothing about, but offered to at least have Makoto find out a name for him. It was a nice thought, but he preferred to find out himself. Besides, Makoto didn’t like him very much and he doubted she would even help him with anything.

“Isn’t that part of the mystery? What she sees, I mean.”

The boy freezes upon hearing the voice. It can’t be.

To Akechi’s left, red eyes settled itself on messy black hair. It’s him. He’s at the exhibition? The same exhibition? It felt too good to be true.

Madarame give out a hearty laugh at the boy’s answer, “Yes, yes. It does add to the mystery of what she sees. It is up to the viewer to decide what Sayuri gazes upon, what those eyes see.” He says. “Personally, I do believe that the eyes are the window to the soul. What lies beyond the window? Nobody knows.”

Upon seeing Madarame give a polite nod, Akechi watches the man walk away, presumably to entertain some other guest at the exhibition. The boy remained at the esteemed ‘Sayuri’ painting, unmoving. He seemed to be lost in thought, possibly taking in what Madarame had said.

Even through the bustling of the crowd, Akechi catches the sound of quiet giddy laughter. A smile make it’s way onto the bespectacled boy’s lips, sending a chill down the detective’s spine. The boy turns on his heels and Akechi catches the deranged look in his eyes as he passes, watching him disappear into the crowd moments later.

_What…was that?_

Akechi takes this as his cue to leave. It was nice to see the boy again, but what reason did he have to talk to him? Surely the bespectacled boy didn’t need any more emotional baggage than what he already has. Not to mention the look in his eyes just before he left…

Still, What Madarame said had him considering his situation.

Windows to the soul? What would you even see in his soul? Pitch black full of nothingness and a bottomless abyss is what you’d find in his. Stained with blood and dripping with regrets, endless cacophony of screams, and the like.

_Maybe I should stop trying to be so pessimistic._

The boy takes a look around the crowd before he pull his hat down further. He feels the nausea in his stomach and the pounding of his headache. Akechi turns on his heels and heads for the exit as fast as he can.

He’d have to apologise to Sae later for not doing what she asked, but for now…

He just wanted to be alone.

 

———

 

If you asked Akechi if he believed in miracles, he’d most certainly say no.

His answer still wouldn’t change, despite finding himself face to face with the bespectacled boy from nearly three months ago.

All it took was for him to accept that interview at the TV station.

“Oh,” He begins, and he catches the way that the boy’s face light up at the sight of him. “We meet again, I see.” A simple smile, though it felt too forced on his face.

“Akira, you know this guy?” Another boy, standing next to the pigtailed girl he saw during the exhibition watches him with distrusting eyes. He looked very much like your typical delinquent, dyed hair and all. The pigtailed girl is eying him like she’s trying to remember him from somewhere.

“No, Not really. Morgana stole some of his food when we first met.” The bespectacled boy; _Akira_ he presumes, replies lamely. Oh right, his cat. “Ah yes, Your feline friend. How is he, by the way?” Akechi asks, looking over at the bag slung over his shoulder.

As he expected, Morgana pops out of said bag, meowing loudly in a greeting. Akechi can’t help but smile a little as he steps towards Akira, reaching out to give the cat a few friendly pats. “I never got your name by the way.” He says.

Akira gulps, his cheeks painted bright red. Akechi watches him stumbles over his words, managing to muster out, “K-Kurusu. Akira. Kurusu Akira.”

 

He stuttered.

 

Cute.

 

“Kurusu-kun.” Akechi says, testing the name out on his tongue.

Wait, Kurusu? That sounded awfully familiar.

“A-Akira is fine.”

“Really? Akira-kun, then.” Nevertheless, a smile that felt much more genuine than any of his other smiles makes its way to his lips. “My name is Akechi Goro. It’s nice to meet you.” He greets, seeing Akira return his smile.

It’s sweet and nothing seemed to linger underneath.

That was what it seemed like, at least.

 

———

 

Case No: 00091516 

DATE: 09/04/16

Name: [Redacted]

Age: 16 

D.O.B: 02/06/1999

Offence: Attempted Assault 

Date of Offence: 07/04/16

Known Victim(s): Kanamori Honoka 

Reporting Officer: Detective Fukuoka Arata

 

Case Summary:

[Redacted], a student at Hachimitsu High School convicted of attempted assault and possibly attempted murder towards a fellow classmate. His defence was simply because she would not leave him alone after multiple attempts to evade the classmate.

Known weapons at scene of crime is a kitchen knife carried by [Redacted], who had attempted to stab her. It is currently unknown what the convicted’s true intentions were and if [Redacted] was intending on committing murder.

The convicted was sentenced to a year on probation to be carried out in Shibuya.

**Author's Note:**

> i went looking through thousands of fucking case file examples just to make what you see at the end and it sucks and looks stupid and now i feel like punching a guy
> 
> (akira is not really a yandere yet but we'll get there)
> 
> (also kanamori honoka is actually just an oc of mine that i never actually developed further)
> 
> ps akira isn't the only yandere in this au
> 
> : )


End file.
